The present invention relates to a bird removal device, and, more specifically, to a mechanical device that moves and physically forces or frightens birds from a roof, ledge, or other object on which they are perched.
In urban environments, bird xe2x80x9cinfestationsxe2x80x9d can present a variety of problems. For example, near airports, birds are a hazard to arriving and departing planes. Birds and bird droppings can also present substantial health hazards to the community at large. For example, birds carry many diseases that can be transmitted to humans.
Thus, a wide variety of bird removal systems has been developed for dealing with unwanted birds. Many such devices use sirens, alarms, or similar sound devices to frighten the birds. However, birds may become accustomed to such devices and thus are no longer frightened away. Another alternative is to introduce chemical substances into the birds"" food supply, but these chemicals may also adversely affect other wildlife.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a simple device that removes unwanted birds from a roof, ledge, tree, or similar area.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bird removal device that will consistently serve its purpose regardless of the birds"" familiarity with the device.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bird removal device that is non-lethal and will not adversely affect other wildlife.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following description.
The present invention produces physical movement which literally forces the birds to move or frightens them to do so. Normally, both effects are produced simultaneously.
In a preferred embodiment, a long bow string is stretched, so it is taut between two anchor points, using an elastic cord or some other mechanism such as a spring, a weight on a pulley, or even a fiberglass rod. A tow line is attached to the bow string, and this tow line pulls back on the bow string, moving the bow string to a cocked position. One end of the tow line is secured to the bow string, and the other end is attached to a wind-up spool which is part of a retractor mechanism.
Upon activation, the wind-up spool is allowed to unwind freely, which allows the bow string to snap back, sweeping the area of birds and preferably making a loud noise. After releasing the bow string, the device begins reeling the tow line back up, making a clicking noise, slowly sweeping the area again, and re-cocking the bow string. Thus, the bow string swings swiftly across the area to be kept free of birds, physically forcing the birds off their perch regardless of how comfortable or familiar they may have become with the device. In order to accomplish this, the bow string should sweep across the area at a height which is low enough to make contact with the birds perching in the area. Typically, the bow string would sweep a path which is substantially parallel to and within one foot of the perching surface. Furthermore, the bow string sweeps back again over the surface as it is brought back to the cocked position, and, while doing so, the retractor mechanism is emitting an audible clicking sound which further serves to scare the birds away.
There may be several configurations to accomplish the desired effect of physically removing unwanted birds. In one such configuration, tree limbs are shaken to both remove the birds and scare them away. In this case, one or more tree limbs are pulled back by the tow line (instead of pulling back on a bow string). When the mechanism is triggered, the tow string unwinds freely from the take-up spool, allowing the tree limb(s) to snap back. Other configurations may involve moving frightening objects such as tinsel cord or a cord with streamers, moving noise making objects, or multiple bow string lines and pulleys in order to sweep multiple areas.
The activation of the device of the present invention may be accomplished in any of a number of ways. It can be activated manually, by a timer, a motion sensor, a heat sensor, or even a sound sensor such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,552, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The sound sensor xe2x80x9clistensxe2x80x9d for environmental sounds in the vicinity of the device. It compares the sounds it hears against a database, and, when it detects the same sound as that of the unwanted bird species, it generates a signal which may be used to activate the device of the present invention.
While the embodiment of the invention shown herein is a simple bird removal device, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that it can also be used with various other configurations having various bow strings, pulleys, and adjustments so as to deter birds in any given area.